Military officers from the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces receive recognition at a review conference by the Ministry of National Defence on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of National Defence (MoD) on Thursday organised a conference to review the term of work at the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission by Unit 1 of the Engineering Brigade and Field Hospital No. 4.

Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, Central Party Committee Member, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Head of the Interagency Task Force, Head of the MoD's Steering Committee for UN peacekeeping activities, chaired the conference.

During the conference, Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng, Director of the Việt Nam Peacekeeping Department (MoD), stated that at the end of their term, Unit 1 of the Engineering Brigade and Field Hospital No. 4 had successfully completed their missions as commanded by the peacekeeping mission and the MoD.

Congratulating and praising Unit 1 of the Engineering Brigade and Field Hospital No. 4 for their excellent performance in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Abyei and South Sudan regions, Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến emphasised that the MoD acknowledges the remarkable and outstanding achievements of the personnel of these two units.

According to Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, despite operating in a multilateral international environment in regions with various potential risks, the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces have well demonstrated the traditions of the heroic Vietnamese people and the People's Army of Việt Nam, enhancing the reputation of Việt Nam in the international community.

In the future, Việt Nam will continue to implement a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversifification of relations and be a trustworthy friend and partner of other countries while taking on its responsibilities as a member of the international community.

Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến hoped that the UN and partner countries will continue to support Việt Nam and its People's Army in carrying out their noble mission of deploying Vietnamese peacekeeping forces to missions and effectively fulfilling their duties as entrusted by the UN and its peacekeeping missions.

He added that Việt Nam is striving to increase the participation of women in UN peacekeeping forces, both in unit and individual roles. Việt Nam is currently one of the leading countries with a 16 per cent female participation rate in peacekeeping activities, while the average rate for other countries is about 10 per cent.

Việt Nam aims to raise this rate to 20 per cent by 2025 by engaging in suitable mechanisms and areas outlined in the comprehensive plan for Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping activities.

Unit 1 of the Engineering Brigade performed excellently in military engineering and military construction tasks at the UNISFA mission, renewing, upgrading, and repairing major roads and patrol routes in different sectors with a total length of 303 km.

They organised vehicle recovery for UN and local vehicles stuck in mud, ensuring the smooth flow of traffic throughout the mission area. They also repaired and maintained camp facilities, bridges, and infrastructure within the mission area. Notably, the Việt Nam Engineering Unit was selected by the UNISFA mission command as the pioneering unit in the Smart Camp Project, restructuring the mission's infrastructure.

Unit 1 provided free medical examinations, medicines, and gifts to 168 local women and children. They supported local communities by dredging over 20 kilometres of canals and installing 36 drainage ditches to prevent flooding in Abyei town during the historic rainy season in 2022. They also contributed two classrooms to the Abyei Nursery School.

During their term of service, Field Hospital No. 4 treated 1,468 patients, ensuring compliance with medical protocols. The hospital successfully handled many complex medical emergencies, requiring high-level medical expertise.

The Field Hospital conducted research, application, and traditional medical treatments and physical therapy for 150 patients. They proactively developed plans for disease prevention and advised the UNMISS mission on measures to prevent COVID-19, malaria, monkeypox, ebola, and more.

Field Hospital No. 4 conducted numerous voluntary activities, providing medical treatment, medical supplies, and equipment to local communities. They also planted trees at schools, hospitals, villages, and military bases to create a clean and beautiful environment and donated books, writing materials, pens, ink, toys, and clothing to local students.

At the end of their service term, Unit 1 of the Engineering Brigade received commendation letters from the UNISFA mission command, the UN Police Commissioner, the Mission's Security Assurance Agency, the Ministry of Education, and the Education Department of the Abyei region for their contributions and dedication in the mission area.

Field Hospital No. 4 received commendation certificates from the Commander of the UN Mission's Military Force for the excellent achievements of their personnel in fulfilling their assigned roles and responsibilities.— VNS